The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-03-22
YHE WHEELING DAILY nNTEI1TGENoER: TUESDAY MORNING. MARCH o. 1s
Gm Qatetliqfttrtx
Office, Nos. 80 nnd ~ Fourteenth street.
THE OLDEST SOVEREIGN.

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Emperor william Lives to Celebrate IN,
NinSti"th Anniversary OF his lilrth.
n. j. Tribune.
Tho ninetieth anniversary Of a cover.
eign's birthday is unique event In human
history. The Emperor Of Germany has
been on the throne twsnty-six years, This
10 a reign Of average duration and hat
been exceeded many timesin the present
century by several aovereigus.' It ha.
been his fortune. however, to remain or
the throne at q more advanced aee than
my other Emperor or King Of whom mod.
ern hietory bears record. lie was born or
March 81, 1877, tbs very day on which thq
young Napoleon left Paris to take con-.
mand oil the army In Italy. He was ora.
died In tho camp Of national adyeraity.
Tor he was a child when Jena Wis fought
and Prussia overthrown. Lie learned tho
trade Of war In the school OF arms cetab.
liahed under successive Europesn coali.
tons against France. He eerved with the
victorious army OF 1874 which marched
from Leipsic to Paris. and he waa In the
field, II no. with Dlucher, when Waterloo
banlshed tho crowned enemy Of Europe
to st. Helena. There can be found in
Germany; England Or France barely a
corpotal's guard OF veterans OF tho last Of
tue Napoleonic campaigns; but one Of
them lives and teigns, beloved by bis peo.
pie and honoreh by all n~ations, the oldea.
Of modern sovereiIns.
From Waterloo to King williams coro.
nation at kocningsbey in lSel, there was
Il transition period OF nearly half a cen.
tury, during which Prussia remained A
teeble. misgoverried State overshsdowed
by Austria. A soldier without copyeujul
occupation, a prince OF marked unpopu.
larity, he came in old age to tho throne to
lake up almoat at Onca the sword OF Frede.
rick the Great, and by striking down two
rlvsl States 10 make Germany under Prns.
sian Leadership the strongest Power on the
Continent. The Empire 0 .day IL more
powerful than 1t WAS In the days of Charles
the Filth. he has rendered services 10
the Fatherland which have combined
with many homely virtues and sterling
qualities to command the confidence and
love Of his subjects. He Ia honored
throughout Germany for his genuine
patriotism. The shortcomings Of his do.
mestic policy is recognized as faults Of the
head rather than OF the heart. Always a
thorough soldier, he has been at the head
Of hia armies in every campaign and il he
has kept Germany in the saddle and act a
perniclous example in national armaments
it has been because he has believed that
what had been won in the battles OF his
reign must be protected by standing
armies Tor generations TO come. Since
Sedan he has not nade the Empire trouble.
some and meddlcsome on the Continent.
1t has been an agency OF pacific diplomacy.
Tbs Enperor's gfeatest faculty as a SOW
eIelgn has been sasacity in the choice o!
ADVISERS: No mousrch zinc, Napoleon
has displayed equal Judgment and acumen
III the selection oil Ministers aud Generals.
Bismarck was called to his side 1901 after
his reign opened, and has been kept there
as a jealous defender Of the rights Of the
Grown, which the Emperor himself &C.
copied as Of divine appointment and as
taken, in his own words, iron the tsble
OF the Lord" Won Moltke was placed in
supreme scrn?nd over his armies as the
sSlet General Of ecert times. To the
E71itIuf belongs the credit OF having dis.
covered these two Necessary men, and OF
placing implicit confidence in them. As
a soldier he has looked to the army 90 the
main Instrument OF the greatness OF the
Empire aud OF the maintenance OF peace.
He has had little, il any, sympathy with
libersl ideas. He has no: made ps.lis-
mentsry government a~reslity in Germany,
nor converted the democracy which he
armed With the ballot into u progressive
force. 1t will require a wiser generation
than onra 10 adjust the balance between
h!s patriotic sesvices TO the Fa,he,lsnd
and his shortcomings rs 3 Constitutional
ruler. But HIS spldiar!y qualities, his
yigor OF mind. his inHexible will, his in.
dustty, his practical wisdom and his do
n'ees:c virtues are known anoug men the
world over. He has reached his nine.
.ieth year with mind u~uclouded, il not
with natura! force ~unsbn,ed, End poor in
spirit muet ba the man who does not
honor him.